Three days later, Morax arrived in Liyue in person.
He found a suitable empty plot of land and, with a surge of geo power, raised a stone building the color of Mora itself.
Above its entrance were large carved characters:
Liyu Bank
Zayn's reaction was simple:
"…This building is so ugly."
Morax was a stubborn rock—
What did he know about aesthetics?
The sudden appearance of a divine structure naturally stirred all of Liyue.
People murmured, speculating about the bank's purpose.
The truth was revealed the next day when Liyu Bank officially opened.
Crowds flooded inside, curious to see what this new institution was.
Under the explanation of the newly selected clerks, they finally understood—
The great Geo Lord and Feather God saw that trading was too inconvenient,
barter was inefficient,
so they established this bank to issue a new currency called Mora
to replace primitive exchange.
To acquire Mora, one simply needed to exchange grain for it.
And the stored grain could be withdrawn at any time.
Since this was a gift from the gods—
Naturally, the people would support it wholeheartedly.
One by one, households calculated their yearly food needs
and brought all surplus grain to the bank,
exchanging it for the divine currency.
For an entire afternoon, crowds flowed in and out.
More than a million Mora were issued.
The bank's warehouses were filled to the brim with grain.
At first, people were unaccustomed to this new trading method.
But inconvenience aside—
using Mora was undeniably much, much easier
than bartering.
Before:
A wants something from B.
But B doesn't want anything A has.
A must trade with C, D, E…
until finally getting something B desires.
Now:
Just give Mora.
Simple. Clean. Efficient.
As time passed, Mora gradually took root in people's hearts—
becoming something they could no longer live without.
Soon, Zayn noticed something interesting.
On a few busy streets, people had begun setting up stalls.
Small businesses were appearing.
Mora existed, therefore commerce began to sprout.
Primitive for now, but…
This would one day become the foundation
of the most prosperous commercial nation in all of Teyvat: Liyue.
Zayn, having successfully introduced Mora,
returned to his favorite pastime:
slacking off.
…And for some reason, he found himself faintly looking forward
to the coming Archon War.
He quickly shook the thought away.
The Archon War was brutal—
countless mortals and gods would perish.
Was he becoming too comfortable living in peaceful Liyue,
too used to lounging with Morax in their pavilion?
But the war was inevitable.
He could not influence the will of Celestia.
All he could do was prepare himself.
Sitting lazily in the pavilion, staring at Liyue's scenery,
Zayn sighed.
Back on Earth, he had been a homebody—
but humanity had the internet.
Here?
He had almost run out of board games to torment Morax with.
As he watched the scenery, a thought suddenly appeared:
The world is big. Why not go see it?
He'd heard that northeast of Liyue lay a vast plain,
covered almost entirely in Glaze Lilies—
a breathtaking sea of flowers.
The domain of the Dust Archon, Guizhong.
Why not visit?
After all, they would eventually form an alliance.
Zayn didn't know exactly when the Archon War would begin.
If he kept lounging around Liyue with Morax,
How would he ever meet Guizhong?
How would she hand Morax the token of alliance?
Surely she wouldn't personally come knocking on their door…?
…Actually, given what he knew of Guizhong,
she might very well do that.
Historical records described the event vaguely—
Guizhong's proposal had surprised Morax,
and he hadn't agreed at first.
But she persistently reached out,
and though Morax never verbally acknowledged it,
their alliance had silently begun.
So in essence—
Guizhong had been the one courting Morax.
Zayn looked at Morax in a new light.
Did this stone really have such charm?
Still… Guizhong's decision had been sharp.
The one she chose to ally with
did indeed become the Archon of Liyue.
It was fate's cruelty that she herself
fell before that future arrived.
Zayn wondered:
Now that he had arrived before the war…
could he become a variable?
A shift in the tide?
And if he did,
would he catch the attention of Celestia?
He exhaled slowly.
If he did nothing,
Then what meaning did his arrival have?
One step at a time.
The Archon War would take millennia anyway.
Compared to his short human lifespan on Earth,
He was already earning interest.
Stretching, Zayn rose from the pavilion
and went to find Morax.
"Morax—"
"Stop. If this is about playing another board game
where you'll cheat again, I refuse."
Morax cut him off immediately.
He had already witnessed dozens of matches
where Zayn, unable to win,
used every unreasonable yet somehow "arguable" method
to flip the board outcome.
Zayn scratched his head awkwardly.
Was this… trauma response?
"Ahem. I'm not here to play chess today."
"Ah. Then please, sit, Zeno,"
Morax said smoothly, his attitude shifting instantly.
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